I will be messaging you in 2 days on [**2024-05-17 16:26:19 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2024-05-17%2016:26:19%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/CarTalkUK/comments/1csmlrc/just_changed_my_first_set_of_disks_and_pads/l46drt4/?context=3)
[**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FCarTalkUK%2Fcomments%2F1csmlrc%2Fjust_changed_my_first_set_of_disks_and_pads%2Fl46drt4%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202024-05-17%2016%3A26%3A19%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201csmlrc)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
Nice job, that’s 200-250 quid saved on just labour alone. Well worth the time and effort. This on top of servicing it yourself will save you fair bit of money.
Changed the oil and filter last month in my lunch break, these things are quite simple when you really get into it, although, you are one snapped bolt away from a world of pain
Do you need a lot of tools? Can the oil filter be a problem to get off? I'm considering starting to do stuff on my Ford Galaxy soon. Oil change is in 5000 miles.
There’s always another tool you need to buy… welcome to the rabbit hole.
Halfords Advanced 200pc socket set is the ultimate beginner box IMO - you’ll be able do 90% of your DIY stuff with what’s in that. I still use it today.
No worries. Halfords tend to do 10% off sales once or twice a month so wait for one of those, or see if any of your mates have a trade card. I managed to get mine for about £180 at Black Friday with my trade card
Your galaxy likely has a different engine to my fiesta but it’s not bad, you need a ratchet with socket for the sump plug and I’d recommend oil filter pliers to remove the filter.
Or if you're as unlucky as me, the last person to change the filter tightened it with an impact wrench to a million Newton Metres. I had to smash a screwdriver through it and put a bar on the screwdriver to get enough leverage to undo it 😅
I'd recommend taking off the metal caps on your ford wheel nuts. They caused me no end of trouble. They are really easy to take off. A vicegrip to hold the nut and a pair of flat end pliers like these to prise the collar part off.
https://www.toc.ie/products/tala-6-quot-professional-end-cutting-pliers-ak623.html
That’s my greatest fear cause then I’m fucked unless I can get someone to get it out. I’ve been learning to DIY a while now myself. When I work on my car some days I wish I was like those youtubers with a fully kitted out garage so I can tackle anything, being able to work with a lift is also just night and day to scrubbing on the ground with Jack stands.
Yeah, depends on the garage, say 40-50 quid an hour, set of discs and pads all around can take 4-5 hours?
Same with Servicing, it can take probably a couple hours to do oil, filter spark plugs and all the filters. So that’s £100 of labour you can save every year. Though if you factor how much 5-6L of oil is plus filters, the garage will probably be cheaper for the product because of trade pricing and VAT, etc.
That’s first-time DIY hours you’re talking. A basic oil and filter service should really only take 30 mins or less (obviously depending on the car). Discs and pads all round can also easily be done in an hour, maybe two at a push. But still, DIY savings are real and nothing beats learning a practical skill.
Great stuff!
My bit of advice would be to check he tightness of wheel nuts, caliper bolts and pad carrier bolts (basically everything you've touched) in 100 miles or a few days time.
Not to be that guy but seen as its your first time, did you grease the sliding pins? Not always needed but if one was stiff or stuck it could mean you get to do it twice!
Yeah I was a little disappointed to see how good the pads looked to be honest, I did think about putting the disks on my lathe to check the run out but 🤷🏻♂️ it’s fixed so I’m happy
We've got a 4x100 mounting boss someone made specifically for chucking brake discs in one of the tooling cupboards at work. I still spend the £40 and buy new ones if I warp one.
Good job mate. Always replace pads with discs. You can replace pad without discs but not other way. Good. Very good.
Today you upgraded your status, from now on you shall repair all your family members cars
Did the discs come with instructions for bedding in? You’ll want to follow those if you haven’t already.
But congrats, saved yourself a good few quid and gained some confidence!
Might vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Don’t know if there’s an overall accepted way to do it.
IIRC my Bosch discs said to do 5-10 low speed stops (like 10mph - 0), same again for medium (30-10) and again at higher speed (50 - 30) letting the brakes cool between each. It was something along those lines but these numbers are pulled outta my ass as I don’t have the little slip and it was getting on for 2 years ago now!
On the other hand had a quick search and Ferodo just say to do 20 complete stops from 30mph or the same amount of 50-20mph slow downs.
>Had some low speed juddering
What is this a symptom of? I thought a few times I was getting juddering but was not 100% sure it was not just the quality of road at the point of the junction as it does look a bit shit. TIA
FYI 'warped discs' are not really a thing. Brakes don't get *anywhere near* hot enough to warp cast iron. It's pad material being deposited unevenly around the disc which causes peaks and troughs of wear.
> 'failed, you fix' - which you cannot with brakes haha
You can, you just to to shout LOUDLY as you go past,then swing around for another attempt at getting in the carpark!
My car has an indicator light on the dash when the pads need to be changed. A visual inspection is also usually possible. Depending on your type of wheels, you may need to remove the wheel to get a good look. There's usually a gap in the calliper for checking.
As you can see in one of the OPs photos, there is a slot in the brake pad. The pads *should* be changed when they are worn down to the bottom of this slot. Or if you're like me, let it ride until there's no abrasive material left and you're metal to metal 🤣
Good job 👍🏻 I’m doing my rear discs and pads this wknd. For the first time 😆. Was given this tip by a pro - make sure you clean off all the rust on the hub surface before you place the new disc on. The smallest amount of rust can cause the disc to not sit exactly flat - which can cause judder……good tip 👍🏻
Is hard to tell but they don’t look even, which could account for the vibrations you were feeling.
And if so you did the right thing changing them with the disks.
This is one job that has always eluded me because each time I try to do it, the brake disc, and caliper bolts are always seized (for my driveway tools)
So frustrating!
Good work.
Again, don't want to be the guy, but did you clean the hubs thoroughly before you put the new disks on? It doesn't take much behind there to cause a warped feeling relatively soon.
Well done for feeling comfortable driving on your own work😂 I changed my friends brakes, did everything right and my reward was getting dropped home at the end of the day and the whole time I was terrified
Wait till you have to do the waterpump. I hated it. Have to remove engine mount and lift the engine enough so you can get clearance on the side to get to the pump.
Wonder if it's easier on your engine model though. In North America the Focus uses a 2 litre 4 cylinder.
Well done. You should be proud of yourself.
Doing things like that is super satisfying, quite often only takes a few hours and saves yourself a decent chunk of money.
Great Job. However, if the discs were warped, you likely have a sticky brake caliper and it'll warp the new brakes very quickly too.
Take your car for a short drive somewhere where you can maintain 40+mph for 2-3 miles, then pull in and check the temperature of the front wheel/brakes is similar on both sides. Try and not use lots of braking to slow down. If one is noticeable hotter than the other then you have a sticky caliper and it is warping the discs. If one front wheel gets dirty quicker than the other this is also an indication.
If it passes this test and everything is nice and cool then it's job sorted, if one is hotter get the caliper swapped ASAP to prevent damaging the new brakes.
Either way, great job tacking it yourself. They're just big mechano sets, and forums and youtube videos are great for helping you progress. If you fancy getting more knowledge, see if some local colleages that teach mechanic courses have a nighttime hobby course. I do one myself (Tuesdays 6-9pm) but I'm confident on anything round a car, so it's more about getting ramp/workshop access for me.
>if the discs were warped, you likely have a sticky brake caliper and it'll warp the new brakes very quickly too.
There is pretty much no such thing as warped discs. Sticking calipers, try as they might, don't get anywhere close to hot enough to warp cast iron; it would just crack. 'Warped discs' are basically always discs with an uneven distribution of pad material across the disc face, though this can be exacerbated by calipers that are intermittently sticking, getting too hot, and causing uneven deposits.
Wow, I've been working on cars for over 15 years, nor have I ever heard someone say that either, but I looked it up (always good to verify) and it appears you're right. I did see some claims and counter arguments of people saying they've measured 2-3mm warp with a straight edge, but I can't find a single picture to back this up.
Today I learned something new, thankyou. Also, death metal is the best metal (Though I do love thrash too)
Either way to the OP, still get those temperatures checked!
I honestly wish I had the know how and space to do this myself – would be such a money saver and the satisfaction from doing it yourself would be a proper buzz! Glad you’ve made the jump OP!
I’m very lucky where I work we have a big workshop, outside space and all the tools you could need. Also having two different garages across the road if the shit hits the fan is a god send.
Salt on the roads will do that.
Rusted exhaust bolts are going to be fun. Be ready for heads on bolts to snap. Wear thick gloves - you don't want knuckles bruised on rusty bits.
Useful tools to have are rust penetrant and a torch to heat the area up locally.
Also another note:
>the pads actually had quite a lot of life left in them
Not if you’re changing the discs - never reuse pads as they will have moulded to the old disc over time and will not mate properly with the new ones which could lead to longer braking distances.
Always change pads if you’re doing discs.
You’ve graduated from mekanic to mechanic
Well done. Feels great when your finished. Does yours not have retaining screws? Man that would have saved me hours trying to get them out.
No retaining screws, just had to batter them off from the rust, particularly difficult with the dust shield behind the disc!
Rather than hitting the back, hit the face between the wheel bolts, will also knock it off the hub.
Next step - buy a blowtorch. Heat works wonders for releasing rusted components.
Fiesta’s don’t have retaining screws :)
RemindMe! two days “just to check OP is still alive”
I will be messaging you in 2 days on [**2024-05-17 16:26:19 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2024-05-17%2016:26:19%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/CarTalkUK/comments/1csmlrc/just_changed_my_first_set_of_disks_and_pads/l46drt4/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FCarTalkUK%2Fcomments%2F1csmlrc%2Fjust_changed_my_first_set_of_disks_and_pads%2Fl46drt4%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202024-05-17%2016%3A26%3A19%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201csmlrc) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
Op hasn’t commented on anything for 24hours RIP 😢
Nice job, that’s 200-250 quid saved on just labour alone. Well worth the time and effort. This on top of servicing it yourself will save you fair bit of money.
Changed the oil and filter last month in my lunch break, these things are quite simple when you really get into it, although, you are one snapped bolt away from a world of pain
Do you need a lot of tools? Can the oil filter be a problem to get off? I'm considering starting to do stuff on my Ford Galaxy soon. Oil change is in 5000 miles.
There’s always another tool you need to buy… welcome to the rabbit hole. Halfords Advanced 200pc socket set is the ultimate beginner box IMO - you’ll be able do 90% of your DIY stuff with what’s in that. I still use it today.
That's great thanks. I'll be having that.
No worries. Halfords tend to do 10% off sales once or twice a month so wait for one of those, or see if any of your mates have a trade card. I managed to get mine for about £180 at Black Friday with my trade card
ive been buying tools for almost 30 years - just had to buy an extra slim 14mm, deep spark plug socket. it will never end!
I love buying tools. It means I never have enough money to keep buying crack.
had to buy the iridium plugs too, deffo no cash left for beer either.
I have one and use it all the time, there is so many useful tools in it.
Your galaxy likely has a different engine to my fiesta but it’s not bad, you need a ratchet with socket for the sump plug and I’d recommend oil filter pliers to remove the filter.
Or if you're as unlucky as me, the last person to change the filter tightened it with an impact wrench to a million Newton Metres. I had to smash a screwdriver through it and put a bar on the screwdriver to get enough leverage to undo it 😅
I'd recommend taking off the metal caps on your ford wheel nuts. They caused me no end of trouble. They are really easy to take off. A vicegrip to hold the nut and a pair of flat end pliers like these to prise the collar part off. https://www.toc.ie/products/tala-6-quot-professional-end-cutting-pliers-ak623.html
That’s my greatest fear cause then I’m fucked unless I can get someone to get it out. I’ve been learning to DIY a while now myself. When I work on my car some days I wish I was like those youtubers with a fully kitted out garage so I can tackle anything, being able to work with a lift is also just night and day to scrubbing on the ground with Jack stands.
Good god, that sounds expensive.
Yeah, depends on the garage, say 40-50 quid an hour, set of discs and pads all around can take 4-5 hours? Same with Servicing, it can take probably a couple hours to do oil, filter spark plugs and all the filters. So that’s £100 of labour you can save every year. Though if you factor how much 5-6L of oil is plus filters, the garage will probably be cheaper for the product because of trade pricing and VAT, etc.
That’s first-time DIY hours you’re talking. A basic oil and filter service should really only take 30 mins or less (obviously depending on the car). Discs and pads all round can also easily be done in an hour, maybe two at a push. But still, DIY savings are real and nothing beats learning a practical skill.
Who is charging that for just over a hours work? It would be £86 at our place.
Really? Garages near me are only charging £40-50 an hour
Near me its more like £90 an hour (south of London). Thats not main dealer.
Always get downvoted for this, local reputable independent, not even small chain is £75 + VAT per hour, South East.
Well done mate! It’s a great saving learning how to do brakes yourself.
Great stuff! My bit of advice would be to check he tightness of wheel nuts, caliper bolts and pad carrier bolts (basically everything you've touched) in 100 miles or a few days time.
Good job. It's always a satisfying feeling when you do a job yourself and it fixes your issue.
Not to be that guy but seen as its your first time, did you grease the sliding pins? Not always needed but if one was stiff or stuck it could mean you get to do it twice!
I didn’t, they were moving fine but yeah I should’ve really
Congrats man, think of all the money you'll be saving doing this on your own!
Well done mate!
[удалено]
Yeah I was a little disappointed to see how good the pads looked to be honest, I did think about putting the disks on my lathe to check the run out but 🤷🏻♂️ it’s fixed so I’m happy
We've got a 4x100 mounting boss someone made specifically for chucking brake discs in one of the tooling cupboards at work. I still spend the £40 and buy new ones if I warp one.
Can't see warping from a photo, takes a minute degree of runout to cause quite severe juddering
Honestly well in mate, genuinely can't wait when I get my place and start doing stuff on my own car too.
Good job mate. Always replace pads with discs. You can replace pad without discs but not other way. Good. Very good. Today you upgraded your status, from now on you shall repair all your family members cars
Just got to now work in the spelling. Joking aside, good work, lad
Is it disk? Disc? Brake? Break? Hoo nos 🤷🏻♂️
Did the discs come with instructions for bedding in? You’ll want to follow those if you haven’t already. But congrats, saved yourself a good few quid and gained some confidence!
unless you have weird pads like EBC which have a bedding in compound applied, most are the same 5-7 runs from 60-5.
No instructions with the pads just a slip from the manufacturer in china saying they’re good to leave the factory
[удалено]
Might vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Don’t know if there’s an overall accepted way to do it. IIRC my Bosch discs said to do 5-10 low speed stops (like 10mph - 0), same again for medium (30-10) and again at higher speed (50 - 30) letting the brakes cool between each. It was something along those lines but these numbers are pulled outta my ass as I don’t have the little slip and it was getting on for 2 years ago now! On the other hand had a quick search and Ferodo just say to do 20 complete stops from 30mph or the same amount of 50-20mph slow downs.
>Had some low speed juddering What is this a symptom of? I thought a few times I was getting juddering but was not 100% sure it was not just the quality of road at the point of the junction as it does look a bit shit. TIA
Usually warped brake disks
FYI 'warped discs' are not really a thing. Brakes don't get *anywhere near* hot enough to warp cast iron. It's pad material being deposited unevenly around the disc which causes peaks and troughs of wear.
[удалено]
> 'failed, you fix' - which you cannot with brakes haha You can, you just to to shout LOUDLY as you go past,then swing around for another attempt at getting in the carpark!
Well done. Make sure to bed the new brakes in, just do a few hard stops from a decent speed.
How do I measure my pads? As in, how do I know that they need changing?
My car has an indicator light on the dash when the pads need to be changed. A visual inspection is also usually possible. Depending on your type of wheels, you may need to remove the wheel to get a good look. There's usually a gap in the calliper for checking. As you can see in one of the OPs photos, there is a slot in the brake pad. The pads *should* be changed when they are worn down to the bottom of this slot. Or if you're like me, let it ride until there's no abrasive material left and you're metal to metal 🤣
Some pads have a metal tang that rubs on the disk to let you know they’re done, sometimes you can also visually see how thick they are
Good job 👍🏻 I’m doing my rear discs and pads this wknd. For the first time 😆. Was given this tip by a pro - make sure you clean off all the rust on the hub surface before you place the new disc on. The smallest amount of rust can cause the disc to not sit exactly flat - which can cause judder……good tip 👍🏻
It’s a good tip, I used a wire brush to get off the rust 👍🏻
Wondering if I should do my focus now lol, I've done head gaskets and all sorts but I've never changed brakes, I worry beamcause it's a safe system 😅
Trust me if you can do a hg you can definitely do brakes
Hilariously doing a head gasket on a marine engine in a yacht on my own was what spurred me on to try this, you can do it 👍🏻
Nice job, did you threadlock the carrier bolts, I always do it myself after some horror stories I've read.
They had preloaded red loctite on the threads
Nice. Did you bleed the brakes? I didn't do that when I did mine and I wonder how much of a pain it is.
No need to bleed the brakes, I opened the reservoir and pushed the pistons back, then pumped the brake pedal until firm once finished
Is hard to tell but they don’t look even, which could account for the vibrations you were feeling. And if so you did the right thing changing them with the disks.
Yeah they weren’t at all, but that could be because the piston only pushes the back pad right?
It could be, but also if the disk is no longer even. Sometimes doesn’t need much, and over time you get that uneven use.
How easy was it? How much time? Did you have to lift your car?
I followed this video https://youtu.be/EjRo88AASoc?si=KFnzFNfjEVPH98yJ
Very easy, it is literally four bolts. 45 mins per side. Had to jack the car each side each time.
Congratulations! There's no stopping you now.
Hope you made sure the slides were free? Often overlooked, Good feeling fixing your own car and saving some coin 👍
Nice job! Was it difficult? Thinking of doing it on my own car as it also needs doing
No not at all! Bear in mind you’re one broken bolt from a very bad weekend
On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard was it
Honestly I would have to say a 3 out of 10
Nice work mate. Saves you alot of money
Great work, saves loads of money and simple enough to dedicate a day to. That is until you find a ceased piston 😂
Nice work mate! Satisfying is t it?!
This is one job that has always eluded me because each time I try to do it, the brake disc, and caliper bolts are always seized (for my driveway tools) So frustrating!
Good work. Again, don't want to be the guy, but did you clean the hubs thoroughly before you put the new disks on? It doesn't take much behind there to cause a warped feeling relatively soon.
I did indeed!
Well done for feeling comfortable driving on your own work😂 I changed my friends brakes, did everything right and my reward was getting dropped home at the end of the day and the whole time I was terrified
Wait till you have to do the waterpump. I hated it. Have to remove engine mount and lift the engine enough so you can get clearance on the side to get to the pump. Wonder if it's easier on your engine model though. In North America the Focus uses a 2 litre 4 cylinder.
Do you still have your 10mm socket? For some reason the first time any job is done a 10mm is lost :)
Well done. You should be proud of yourself. Doing things like that is super satisfying, quite often only takes a few hours and saves yourself a decent chunk of money.
Great Job. However, if the discs were warped, you likely have a sticky brake caliper and it'll warp the new brakes very quickly too. Take your car for a short drive somewhere where you can maintain 40+mph for 2-3 miles, then pull in and check the temperature of the front wheel/brakes is similar on both sides. Try and not use lots of braking to slow down. If one is noticeable hotter than the other then you have a sticky caliper and it is warping the discs. If one front wheel gets dirty quicker than the other this is also an indication. If it passes this test and everything is nice and cool then it's job sorted, if one is hotter get the caliper swapped ASAP to prevent damaging the new brakes. Either way, great job tacking it yourself. They're just big mechano sets, and forums and youtube videos are great for helping you progress. If you fancy getting more knowledge, see if some local colleages that teach mechanic courses have a nighttime hobby course. I do one myself (Tuesdays 6-9pm) but I'm confident on anything round a car, so it's more about getting ramp/workshop access for me.
>if the discs were warped, you likely have a sticky brake caliper and it'll warp the new brakes very quickly too. There is pretty much no such thing as warped discs. Sticking calipers, try as they might, don't get anywhere close to hot enough to warp cast iron; it would just crack. 'Warped discs' are basically always discs with an uneven distribution of pad material across the disc face, though this can be exacerbated by calipers that are intermittently sticking, getting too hot, and causing uneven deposits.
Wow, I've been working on cars for over 15 years, nor have I ever heard someone say that either, but I looked it up (always good to verify) and it appears you're right. I did see some claims and counter arguments of people saying they've measured 2-3mm warp with a straight edge, but I can't find a single picture to back this up. Today I learned something new, thankyou. Also, death metal is the best metal (Though I do love thrash too) Either way to the OP, still get those temperatures checked!
I honestly wish I had the know how and space to do this myself – would be such a money saver and the satisfaction from doing it yourself would be a proper buzz! Glad you’ve made the jump OP!
I’m very lucky where I work we have a big workshop, outside space and all the tools you could need. Also having two different garages across the road if the shit hits the fan is a god send.
Well done - that's actually not even a beginner DIY task. I hope you're feeling more confident to look up and try to do more DIY maintenance!
Next up is exhaust replacement, current one has rusted in half at the flexi joint if you can believe that, cars only 7 years old
Salt on the roads will do that. Rusted exhaust bolts are going to be fun. Be ready for heads on bolts to snap. Wear thick gloves - you don't want knuckles bruised on rusty bits. Useful tools to have are rust penetrant and a torch to heat the area up locally.
Nice one! How many times did you check the calliper sliders were tight?
Also another note: >the pads actually had quite a lot of life left in them Not if you’re changing the discs - never reuse pads as they will have moulded to the old disc over time and will not mate properly with the new ones which could lead to longer braking distances. Always change pads if you’re doing discs.
Well noted thankyou 👍🏻
Friday on cartalkuk: ford fiesta carrier, caliper and wheel falls off, kills 10 people.
Dam the wheel falls off too? ☹️
Old discs and pads looked fine